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Thursday, December 31, 2015

Hello Everyone! I chose the picture posted above because it reminds me of reading to my daughter Mareena when she was little. Every afternoon until she was about eight or nine years old, we would take one of her books that she wanted to read or that she was reading and we would curl up together on my big bed.

We would spend an hour or so reading a chapter of her book, and then take a nap together. Her absolutely favorite author at that time was an English author named Enid Blyton. Ahh, nice memories...

My picks for 'Books of the Month' will be decidedly more adult these days, but they will be from almost any genre. December's Book of the Month is:

Abide With Me: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout was the eighty-third book that I read in 2015. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since September 29, 2015 and it took me two days to read. This book is definitely a keeper for me.

The Cedar Cove Series Book 8Length: 377 pagesGenre: Contemporary FictionStarted: 29 December 2015Finished: 31 December 2015Where did it come from? From a Library Book SaleHow long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 December 2015Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

There aren't that many secrets to keep in a close-knit community like Cedar Cove, Washington. So, when Emily Flemming finds an earring in her husband's pocket, she is understandably upset. The lost earring is definitely not hers, and Emily is worried that her husband Dave might be having an affair. She doesn't want to believe that Dave could or would cheat on her, but he's been acting so strangely lately that she just can't be certain.

Dave Flemming is a pastor - a loving husband and a wonderful father to their two boys; he truly is a good, upstanding, moral man - and Emily is deeply ashamed of her thoughts. However, she just can't stop herself from thinking this way. There's just something different about her husband, and she can't put her finger on what it is exactly. She has just learned that some jewelry was recently stolen from an elderly woman's house - and Dave used to visit the lady quite a bit.

Emily can't believe that Dave is guilty of doing anything illegal - that's just not in his nature. However, since he doesn't tell her where he's been when he comes home so late - she can't help but wonder just what is happening with him. Something is definitely going on with Dave; something certainly seems wrong with him, and Emily is determined to find out just what it is.

First of all, let me say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick and easy read for me, and a fairly pleasant way to spend a couple of days. I certainly appreciated having the list of characters at the beginning of the book; it was really helpful to know who was who as I was reading.

I must say that the story's plot actually wasn't all that difficult to follow. The storyline itself was pretty simple, and nothing really mind-blowing or overly dramatic happened; at least in my opinion. Although, I would still give this book an A!A! - (90-95%)

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Well, among my Christmas presents, I received four jigsaw puzzles - two from Mareena and two from our friend Lisa. I decided to start doing a 1,000-piece puzzle on Christmas Day. It was actually fairly difficult to do because the puzzle is so detailed. The picture was of a herd of elephants - pink elephants! LOL!!!

Anyway, I finished the puzzle this afternoon and then decided to start reading 8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber. I actually acquired this book from the most recent Library Book Sale that Mareena and I went to on Wednesday afternoon. I started reading it this evening. I'm not that far into the story yet, but it looks like it's going to be good.

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Tracy Michele Leininger is a new author for me.

Nestled high among the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania, lies a lush green valley which the Native Americans have named Buffalo Valley. Very few immigrants have managed to tame the wilderness of the American frontier to settle in such a lush valley - named Penn's Creek by the settlers - yet the handful of settlers who were successful had lived peacefully among themselves and with their Native American neighbors for many years. One such family of settlers was the Leininger family; recently arrived from Germany.

Even as the French and Indian War raged around them, the Leininger family - twenty-year-old Christian, nineteen-year-old John, fifteen-year-old Barbara, nine-year-old Regina and their parents - remained relatively safe. The autumn of 1755 had bestowed many gifts upon them - not only in terms of Nature's rich beauty, but also in terms of a bountiful harvest. Indeed, it seemed as if the entire valley rejoiced along with the Leiningers in the fullness of the season. However, their peaceful frontier life could not last forever.

General Braddock and his army had been defeated and soon the Pennsylvania settlers would suffer the bloody effects of the French and Indian War. On October 16, 1755 - a band of Indians, led by Allegheny warriors - stormed through Buffalo Valley, burned the Leiningers' log cabin, and captured the sisters. Few people survived the Penn's Creek Massacre and even fewer lived to tell the story of what happened. However, Regina makes a solemn promise to her older sister just before they are unwillingly separated from each other - each to endure vastly different fates.

Barbara is taken deep into the wilderness, but continues to hold on to the hope that she will someday be reunited with her little sister. Although she is adopted into the Indian tribe, there is a longing deep inside Barbara's soul that cannot be denied. She knows that she must escape - yet the penalty she will incur if she is caught is certain death. However, Barbara's dream of eventual freedom only grows stronger.

What could possibly make a young fifteen-year-old woman defy all the odds and plan such an undertaking? From whom did she draw the strength? Will she ever find her sister? And if she does, will Regina remember her promise?

First of all, let me say right away that I have always enjoyed reading books with inspirational, faith-based plots and this book was no different. However having said that, for my taste, this story seemed slightly over-religious. I still enjoyed this story very much, and must say that reading about the hardships experienced by the Pennsylvania settlers was heartbreaking. I would give this book a B+!

Hello everyone! :) I hope that you all have a wonderful and much blessed Christmas filled with as much friendly and family togetherness as you could wish for. :) Both Mareena and I are feeling fine, although it's definitely not looking anything at all like Christmas - absolutely no snow, and yesterday's high was about 72 degrees Celsius outside!

The kitties are really getting into the Christmas spirit - 'Santa Paws' bought them a stocking full of catnip and kitty toys, and the purrs of thanks resounded around the room. Right at the moment, every one of the girls is sprawled about the room sleeping off their excess excitement. Fun was had by all - humans and kitties alike!

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and had read and enjoyed Amy andIsabelle by this author in the past.

During the late 1950s, in the small New England town of West Annett, Maine, Reverend Tyler Caskey is a man struggling through a crisis of faith. Having recently suffered a terrible loss, Tyler finds it incredibly difficult to be the person he once was. He has always considered himself to be a man of strong faith, and a highly-respected minister to his congregation. Now, in the face of Tyler's crushing grief, he finds himself doubting everything about his life that he once took for granted.

In the opinion of his disapproving, hypercritical mother, Tyler's two daughters - two-year-old Jeanne and five-year-old Katherine - aren't being taken care of properly. He struggles to find the proper words in his sermons, and in his conversations with those facing crises of their own. He finds the personal counseling sessions with his parishioners to be fairly meaningless actually; especially when they don't seem to want to follow his advice.

He hasn't even been successful in finding the right words to help bring his daughter, Katherine, out of the vow of silence she has observed in the wake of the family's tragedy. Tyler's usually kind and patient congregation has now begun to quietly question his leadership and propriety, and soon, inexcusable accusations are born out of anger and gossip. Then, in Tyler's darkest hour of need, a startling new discovery will test his parishioners' humanity - and his own will to endure the trials that sooner or later test us all.

I must say that while this book was slightly difficult to get into; I still found the story riveting and poignant. As I said, I had a bit of trouble getting into the flow of the story, but it was only a temporary feeling. This was the type of book that I began to read compulsively, after the first few pages, because I avidly wanted to know what was going to happen next. Overall, I give this book a definite A+! A+! - (96-100%)

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Wednesday? I'm doing just fine.
:) Well, Mareena and I had hoped to go to our local library yesterday afternoon to do some Christmas shopping at the library's perpetual book sale. It ended up that we didn't actually go out yesterday because it rained the entire day. So, we just changed the day of our outing!

Mareena and I got to the library at approximately 12:30 P. M. and immediately went inside. Then we spent approximately an hour and a half happily perusing the Library Book Sale. By about 2:00 P. M., our downstairs tenant, Pamela, picked us up and dropped us off at Walmart to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

Between us, we bought 32 books at the Library Book Sale - 14 paperbacks, 8 oversized paperbacks and 10 hardcovers. We spent approximately $28 altogether. It turned out to be a fairly good haul for a Christmas shopping trip, if I do say so myself. ;) We actually were pretty restrained this time, completely filling up two canvas tote bags and that was all! :)

At the moment, I'm reading Abide With Me: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout which I started yesterday morning, December 22nd. Mareena had requested this book for me from Paperback Swap back inSeptember, and I just started reading it early yesterday morning.Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Monday, December 21, 2015

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Well, for the past five days, I've been doing a thousand piece puzzle of a blacksmith's smithy situated next to a giant overhanging tree. I just finished the puzzle this afternoon and although it certainly wasn't the easiest puzzle to do, five days to finish a puzzle is a fairly short period of time for me.

As for my reading, I briefly set aside Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn on Friday afternoon, December 18th in favor of reading Susan Hill's The Man in the Picture: A Ghost Story. I finished reading that book on Saturday afternoon, December 19th!

Since then, I've spent the past couple of days trying to figure out which book I wanted to read next. I'm sure that I'll get back to reading Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn again at some point, but I just don't know when. There's just so many good books on my bookshelf, that I can't seem to choose one! And Mareena and I are planning to go Christmas shopping at our local library's perpetual Book Sale tomorrow!

On a particularly bitter January evening, Oliver visits his former tutor, Dr. Theo Parmitter. As the two men sit by the fireside in the professor's rooms at Cambridge - sipping brandy and reminiscing - Oliver notices an unusual painting hanging on the wall. The seventeenth-century oil painting of masked revellers at a masquerade in Venice draws his eye and utterly fascinates him. Although Oliver asks about the painting, Theo seems extremely reticent about revealing too much about the strange picture.

In order to satisfy his former student's profound curiosity, the elderly professor decides to reveal the painting's dark secret. It seems that the ominously dark art of the Venitian scene - instead of imitating life - has the power to entrap it. In fact, the picture is capable of such malevolence, that Dr. Parmitter feels the need to issue a stern warning.

According to his esteemed former tutor, Oliver is dabbling in something he doesn't understand. Indeed, to even stare at the picture for a prolonged period of time is to court danger. Staring into the painting can be viewed as an invitation to all manner of unseen demons, and to become a victim of the painting's enthralling and macabre beauty.

This is actually the second book by Susan Hill that I have read. I must say that as much as I sincerely enjoyed reading The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story, I also enjoyed reading this book just as much. In my opinion, Ms. Hill is a tremendous writer. She creates such a wonderfully eerie atmosphere with her writing style; I found the plot to be intricately woven and chillingly satisfying. I give this book a definite A+!A+! - (96-100%)

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Well for perhaps the past month and a half, I haven't been doing any jigsaw puzzles although crosswords and sudoku puzzles have both been fair game. The jigsaw puzzle that I've finally decided to do is one that looks kind of difficult. It's a thousand piece puzzle of a blacksmith's smithy situated next to a giant overhanging tree. I actually enjoy doing fairly difficult jigsaw puzzles.

As for my reading, I finished reading An Act of Love by Nancy Thayer on Sunday evening, December 13th! Since then, I've spent a couple of days trying to figure out which book I wanted to read next. I finally settled on reading Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn, which I started yesterday afternoon - Tuesday, December 15th! It certainly seems like a promising book! :)

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Reread. An Act of Love by Nancy Thayer (1997)Length: 245 pages Genre: Contemporary FictionOriginally Read: 20 October 2013Reread Finished: 13 December 2015Where did it come from? Originally from Paperback Swap, then from my "keeper" shelf.

So, I think that I actually already have perhaps three or four books by Nancy Thayer in my library. I'm still trying to search through my bookshelves to find them, but haven't found all the books yet. Mareena requested this book for me as one of her 'just because' gifts for October of 2013. I had already read four books by Nancy Thayer when I received this one on October 7th, 2013.

I immediately started reading this book on October 18th, 2013, and it actually took me only two days to finish. I placed the book on my "keeper" shelf on October 20th, 2013. My reread took place over two days in December of 2015 - from December 11th, to December 13th, 2015. I think I will definitely be keeping this book to read again at some point.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Genre: Contemporary FictionStarted: 9 December 2015Finished: 11 December 2015Where did it come from? From BookmoochHow long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 June 2013Why do I have it? I likecontemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Victoria Dawson can't help but feel out of place in her family, especially living in a city as glamorous and body-conscious as Los Angeles. Her father, Jim, is tall and slender, and Victoria's mother, Christina, is a fine-boned, dark-haired beauty. By comparison, Victoria was a chubby little girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and rather ordinary looks. Needless to say, both her parents were intensely critical, outspoken, and noticeably disappointed by their daughter's ordinary appearance.

When Victoria was six years old, she saw a picture of Queen Victoria, and her father told her that she looked just like her. After the birth of Victoria's perfect little sister Grace, her father liked to refer to his firstborn as "our little tester cake". With the birth of Gracie, everyone agreed that Jim and Christina definitely did something right.

As hard as she tries, Victoria just can't seem to win the battle against her weight: as a young adult, she is still overly plump, and has an awful sweet tooth. While her parents and sister can eat anything they want and not gain an ounce, Victoria must watch everything she eats. She quietly endures her father's belittling comments about her body and watches her various academic achievements go unacknowledged by her family. Ice cream and oversized helpings of all the wrong foods may give Victoria some comfort, but only for a few moments.

The only thing Victoria knows is that she must get away from home, and so, after going to college in Chicago, she moves to New York City. Landing her dream job as a high school teacher, Victoria feels like she has finally found her niche: she absolutely loves working with her students and continues to wage a determined war on her weight at the gym. When Grace announces her engagement to a man who is an exact replica of their father, Victoria worries about her sister's future happiness. However, with no man of her own, Victoria can't help but feel like she is a failure once again.

Returning home to attend Grace's wedding, Victoria finds that not much has changed in her absence. Despite the continued tension with her parents, Victoria and Grace have always been close; and although the sisters could not look more different, they love each other unconditionally. Yet regardless of Victoria's many accomplishments, her parents attitudes toward her still haven't changed: they know just what to say to bring her down. She will always be her father's "big girl," and her mother's constant disapproval is equally as unkind.

Victoria has spent a lifetime trying to forget the numerous little occasions of thoughtlessness and cruelty - the various incidents of hurt and neglect perpetrated on her by her parents. But she has finally reached the point of no return; the point where even ice cream can no longer dull the pain. As the wedding draws near, a chance encounter, a deeply upsetting betrayal, and a family confrontation all lead to an unavoidable turning point for Victoria. She faces a tough challenge as she goes ahead in her life, as well as a difficult personal risk: to accept herself as she is, celebrate it, and eventually to claim the victories she has fought so hard for and deserves.

To be perfectly honest, this story was a little bit of a let down for me. I found it to be slightly repetitive and somewhat disappointing, although it was still a fairly enjoyable story - certainly Danielle Steel's typical writing style. This was fast-paced and easy reading for me, but overall it wasn't her most riveting storyline. I had to give this book a B+!B+! - (85-89%)

Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Stoneybridge is a small resort town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know one another. During the summers, the picturesque town's beautiful beaches are filled with tourists and their families - all carrying buckets and spades to play in the sand; building towering sandcastles and searching the shore for seashells. In the winters, few people would venture out into the frigid wilderness; yet those who brave the cold weather to walk along the beach and look out over the exposed windswept cliffs that make up the Atlantic coastline can't help but notice the dilapidated house on the cliff known as Stone House.

Against the sage advice of many, Geraldine 'Chicky' Starr has bought Stone House and has begun renovations of the old decaying mansion. Her plan is to turn the ramshackled house into a thriving vacationer's paradise, specializing in restful holidays by the sea. Not everyone believes that Chicky is entirely capable of turning Stone House into a lucrative business, but she has a vision for the place and is certain that she can make it work.

Helped out by Rigger, a local bad boy turned good who is also handy around the house and Orla, her niece, a truly remarkable business whiz, Chicky is soon ready to open the opulent mansion to the public. As she and her household make final preparations to welcome their first guests into Stone House's large, warm kitchen, roaring log fires, and understated, yet elegant bedrooms, Chicky is delighted at the initial interest shown in her little venture. The guestbook is filling out nicely, and the visitors seem to be thoroughly delightful people...

There is John, the American movie star, who thinks he has arrived to Stone House totally incognito. Winnie and Lillian are taking their holiday together; forced into a seemingly intolerable situation not of their choosing: 'getting to know one another' under duress. Nicola and Henry, husband and wife, have seen so much death while practicing medicine; both doctors have been shaken by their views of mortality and are left feeling overwhelmed and depressed.

Anders hates his father's business, but has a real talent for music. Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, is highly critical of everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone's immense relief. The Walls are disappointed with having won this second place holiday in a contest where the grand prize was a trip to Paris. And Freda, the librarian, is frightened by her own psychic visions. Sharing a week with such an unlikely cast of characters should be pure joy, to Chicky's way of thinking.

This was Maeve Binchy's final novel and was finished just before her untimely death in July of 2012. I absolutely loved reading this book; it was typical Maeve Binchy for me: poignant, warm, and filled with characters that I couldn't help but fall in love with. I give this book a definite A+!A+! - (96-100%)

Friday, December 4, 2015

Reread. Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel by Nancy Thayer (1999)Length: 241 pagesGenre: Contemporary FictionOriginally Read: 16 September 2014Reread Finished: 4 December 2015Where did it come from? Originally from Paperback Swap, then from my "keeper" shelf.

So, this book is another one that Mareena requested for me in September of 2014 as her 'just because' gift for September of last year. I had already read nine other books by Nancy Thayer, and was eagerly searching for another one to read. I received this book on September 15th, 2014 and immediately started to read it. It only took me a day to finish this book - from September 15th, to September 16th, 2014.

My reread took place over two days in December of 2015 - from December 2nd, to December 4th, 2015. I think I will definitely be keeping this book on my bookshelf - for a little while longer, at least - to read again in the future. I may be able to squeeze out one or two more readings yet. It's such a good book.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Where did it come from? Originally from Paperback Swap, then from my "keeper" shelf.

I seem to be rereading quite a number of my books this year, but that's alright because they all seem to be spread out over the past twelve months. I think that this is approximately the twelfth reread that I have had this year, and that's not including the several books that I read twenty years ago and then reread this year. I actually enjoy reading books for a second or third time as I usually never remember the entire plot, so it's like reading a completely new book for me.

Anyway, I had already read two other books by Bentley Little when Mareena requested this book for me as her 'just because' gift for October of 2013. I received the book on October 12th, 2013, although I didn't read it for the first time until almost a full year later in October of 2014. I really don't understand why it took me so long to start reading the book, but it only took me three days - from October 10th, to October 13th, 2014 - to finish it.

My reread took me another three days - from November 30th, to December 2nd, 2015. I enjoyed the book so much that I've decided to keep it on my bookshelf. Hopefully, I'll read it again some time in the future.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Rosefire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog. I originally posted my reviews over at my daughter's blog, Emeraldfire's Bookmarkbut am now in the process of transferring them all over to my own blog. My daughter makes blogging look like so much fun that I thought that I would try it out for myself! :)

Anyway, I started out November with 1,039 books lying around the house and ended the month with 1,030 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Paperback SwapandBookmooch.

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Firestarter by Stephen King
- Big Stone Gap: A Novel by Adriana Trigiani
- Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn
- The Count and the Confession: A True Murder Mystery by John Taylor
- Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: Ripley's RBI: A Scaly Tale by Kay Wilkins

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))- The Shack: A Novel by William P. Young
- Fatal Dosage by Gary Provost
- Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs
- Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher
- All He Ever Wanted: A Novel by Anita Shreve
- Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
- I'd Know You Anywhere: A Novel by Laura Lippman
- Love in Bloom: A Novel by Sheila Roberts
- In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
- The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton
- Wishes on the Wind by Elaine Barbieri

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 9Pages Read: 2,506Grade Range: A+! to C!

So, there you go! The reading month that was November. I hope that you all had an equally good reading month; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Books Read in 2017 - Goal: 1 More Than Last Year!

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Total Number of Unread Books on Rosefire's Bookshelf as of August 29, 2017

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About Me

I'm obviously an avid reader who was dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century by my daughter adding me as a friend here. :) It has opened up a whole new world to me. She has been blogging for three years and had added me as a guest blogger on her site under the alias Rosefire. Now I'm taking baby steps on my own by setting up my own blog. I truly never realized that there were so many people on the Internet who shared my same obsession with reading but it's wonderful to meet you all. By the way, my daughter is Emeraldfire on this site.